Voltage-regulator.



F. DARLINGTON.

VOLTAGE REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1906.

Patented May 11, 1909.

555555 555E5225S555M555529598555525H55552525252555 INVENTUR WITNESSES:

ATTLRNEY UNITED STATES PATENT FREDERICK DARLINGTON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

VOLTAGE-REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK DARLING- Ton, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Voltage-Regulators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to voltage regulators and lparticularly to regulators of the class in W ich voltage variations are effected by varying the active lengths of transformer windings.

One object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved structure and arrange- I ment of parts of a regulator of the above specified class, whereby voltage variation may be effected in circuits that are traversed by large amounts of current without injury to the regulator parts.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved means and a system for controlling the operation of voltage regulators.

Figure 1 of the accom anyingdrawings illustrates diagrammatica a system embodying my invention and Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, in side elevation, of a portion of the regulator shown in Fig. 1.

Alternating current energy may be supplied from a trolley conductor 1 and a trackrail 2, through a lowering transformer 3, or otherwise, to a voltage regulator 4, that 'com rises a magnetizable core 5 and two wm ings 6 and 7. The corresponding terminals of the two windings are connected together by means bf resistances 8 and 9, respectively, to which circuit connections are made at the middle or other points intermediate the terminals thereof. For more successful operation, the windings 6 and 7 should be mtercoiled or juxta osed upon the same portion orportions of 518 magnetizable core 5, and, as here'illustrated, are referably composed of strap or bar conuctors that are intercoiled upon one leg of the core structure in such a manner that the outer, exposed faces of the respective windings alternate with each other in a manner similar to that in which the threads of a double threaded screw are disposed.

The windings are also provided, preferably, with flat faces to be engaged by a movable contact member 10 that may be operated by any suitable means, such as a screw 11, the contact member 10 being connected to a translating device 10 which is to be supplied with variable voltages. The structure of the movable terminal member constitutes the subject-matter of another application, Serial N 0. 304,065, filed by me 0 even date herewith and comprises a frame 12, a shaft 13 having bearings therein, a plurality of contact rings 14 and 15 that difler slightly in diameter and are resiliently but securely'mounted upon the shaft 13 by any suitable means, such as springs 16, so

that all of them will rotate at the same s eed.

When so constructed, a large degree 0 contact pressure may be exerted by the device 10 Without causing an undue amount of friction, while the contact surfaces will be maintained clean by the rubbing action of the rings 14 and 15 upon the engaging surfaces that results from the difference in the diameters of the contact rings, the amount of such rubbing action being insufficient, however, to effect excessive wear of the engaging surfaces.

The screw 11 may be operated, through intermediate gearing 17, by a motor 18, one terminal of the armature 19 of which is connected to a brush 20 that is carried by, but insulated from, the frame 12 of the movable member 1-0 and is adapted to enga e the exo sed faces of the windings 6 an 7. The lirushLZO is so arranged that it never becomes disengaged from the windings 6 and 7 even though the movable member 10 does become disengaged. The other terminal of the no armature 19 is connected to the middle or some other point intermediate the terminals of the field magnet winding 21 of the motor, the terminals of which are connected, respectively, to contact terminals 22 and 23 with either of which the switch arm 24, of a reversing switch 25, is adapted to engage.

The reversing switch, which constitutes the sub'ect-matter of a divisional application, ed October 20, 1908, Serial No. 458,616 com rises, further, a ratchet segment 26 whic carries the switch arm 24 and a pawl 27 that is actuated by the operatin lever 28 of a master controller 29. he paw 27, as here shown, is orovided with a p ston that is yieldingly held in operatin position by a spring 30 in a frame or cylm er 31, the latter being resiliently connected. to the switch lever 28 by a spring 32 that normally tends to maintain the pawl parallel with the that the pawl 27 is thereby caused to engage the ratchet 26. The reversing switch arm 24 is first moved into engagement with contact terminal 23 and against a stop 34 and, as the motion'of the lever 28 to the left continues, the pawl 27 is pressed into the cylinder 31 against the spring 30 until it passes the center line of the switch lever 28, when itis again pressed outwardly and trails behind the lever. If the lever 28 is moved to the right, from the )osition shown, the pawl simply trails behind it over the ratchet, but if the awl occupies a position on the op )0- site si e of the lever it will engage the ratchet and cause the reversing switch arm to be -moved into engagement with contact terminal 22 and a ainst a stop 33. It will thus be understooc that, upon reversing the direction of the motion of the switch lever 28, the pawl 27 is caused to engage the ratchet 26 and efi'ect operation of the reversing switch 25. Y

The master controller 29 oomprisesa plurality of conducting segments 35, 36, 37,38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 that are connected, respectively, to suitable points of an auxiliary transformer winding 43 or with any other suitable source of variable voltages. The voltage steps of the master controller, correspond to predetermined voltage that may be derived from the regulator 4 in order that, in the operation of the system, a voltage shall be app led to the motor 18, when the movable terminal member 10 and the switch lever 28 occupy non-corres )onding' ositions, that is, when the termina with W llCh they engage are sup lied with different voltages. For example, 1 the switch lever 28 is moved, from the position shown, into engagement with conducting segment 41, a circuit will beestablished from a oint 44 in the auxiliary transformer win mg 43, through conducting se ment 41, switch lever 28, reversin switch ever 24, contact terminal 22, oneha f of field magnet windin 21, armature 19,

brush 20, and a greater or ess portion of the regulator windings 6 and 7, according to the position of the member 10. The voltage ap-- plied to the motor 18 will then. be equal to the difference of potential 'existin between the contact terminals 39 and 41 of t e master .ing.

- tact-surface 47 of the regulator.

eeaeee closed circuits are established but the voltapes of these circuits be low because the diderences of potential applied to the respective portions of the windings that are included in the closed circuits will be equal to only thatapplied to a half turn of the windlhe amount of current that will traverse these circuits will also be limited by the resistances S and 9. When the contact rings 14 and 15 engage but one of the windings, only a half of each of the resistances 8 and 9 is included in circuit, the resistance losses in the regulator being in this manner reduced. It will, of course, be understood :that s )ecialresistances 8 and 9 may be employe or that the leads to the regulator windings may be extended sufficiently to introduce the proper amount of resistance into the circuit.

In order to obviate serious sparking and burning of the contacts when the movable member 10 becomes disengaged from the regulator windings at the low potential end of the regulator, I have provided a specially constructed terminal-member comprising a plurality of sections 45,46, etc. that are composed, alternately, of carbon or other high resistance material and of low resistance material such as copper, or of the material of which the regulator windings are composed, and that are placed adjacent to the last con- The carbon serves to introduce resistance into the circuit and to thereby reduce the amount of current traversing it, and the intervening sections of copper or other low resistance conducting material serve to prevent a high current den sity near the contact surface of the terminal by conducting the current from the portions of the carbon that are remote from the contact surface. When the amount of current is sufliciently reduced by these means, the. contact rings 14 a'nd15 engage an insulating section 48, whereupon operation of the regulator ceases. I

Although I have shown theregulator as comprising windings that are provided with exposed faces with which the movable terminal member may engage, it will be readily understood that, if desired, the windings may be connected to suitable contact terminals with which the movable terminal may engage, and also that the windings may be disposed in any other suitable manner on the magnetizable core with due regard to the fact'that they should be placed as closely b'll ' variations within considerable limits without taposed windings arranged in parallel circuit tion or departing from its s irit and I desire ern-in together as possible upon the same portion or portions of the core. The operating motor for the regulator may be of any other suitable form, that here shown being selected because of the small number of conductors necessary to effect its control and the resultant adaptability to the control of a plurality of motor-operated cars in a train, it being necessary to extend from car to car only conductors 49 and 50.

The structural details of the parts and the arrangement of the circuits are subject to altering the mode of operation of the inventhat all such modifications e included within its scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a transformer having a lurality of windings severally provided wit a series of contact terminals that alternate with each other, a movable terminal adapted to successively engage said contact terminals, and a motor for governing the position of the movable terminal, of another set of contact terminals, means for supplying them with different voltages, and a switch arm to engage said contact terminals for govthe motorcircuit's. n a voltage regulator, the combination with a transformer having a plurality of j 11X- and means for making circuit connections alternately to successive points' in said windin'gs.

3. In a voltage regulator, the combination with a transformer having juxtaposed windi ings arranged in parallel circuitand means l for makingcircuit connections alternately to the res ective windings.

4. T e combination with a translating de- I alternate portions composed of metal'and carbon, respectively.

7. The combination with a set of circuit terminals to which variable voltages are applied, the terminal at one end of the set comprising a main, low-resistance conducting portion and alternate conducting portions of igh and low resistance, respectively.

8. The combination with a set of circuit terminals to whichvariable voltages are applied, the terminal at one end of the set comprising a main low-resistance conducting portion and alternate conducting portions composed of metal and carbon, respectively.

In testimony whereof, I. have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of February 1906.

FREDERICK DARLINGTON Witnesses OTTO S. SCHAIRER, BIRNEY' HINES. 

